Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. announced a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with American Airlines, Inc. according to a release. The companies will collaborate on developing the value chain for Camelina as a low-carbon feedstock oil for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). American is looking to increase sustainable aviation fuel as part of its climate strategy.
According to the release, under the MOU, Yield10 and American will support the development of a Camelina oil-based SAF value chain together with the goal of it being used in the commercial airline business. Yield10 and American are also supporting each other in applications government grants to help fund infrastructure to support refineries producing sustainable aviation fuel.
“SAF made from feedstocks that maximize carbon reduction is critical to our climate goals,” said Jill Blickstein, American’s vice president of sustainability in the release. “We believe cover crops, like the Camelina varieties that Yield10 is working on, could play a significant role in helping us decarbonize. Since oilseed cover crops may also have other environmental benefits, such as helping reduce erosion and maintaining soil moisture, it makes them even more compelling.”
“Yield10 is developing elite Camelina varieties to enable winter cover cropping and harvest of low-carbon intensity feedstock oil for the SAF market,” said Oliver Peoples, Ph.D., president and CEO of Yield10 Bioscience in the release. “With this new relationship in place with American, we continue to make progress toward our goal of establishing a network of collaborations across the biofuel value chain to support the establishment of Camelina as a major new source of feedstock oil for transportation fuel. We are excited to be aligned with American on the potential for Camelina to play an important role in sustainably de-carbonizing SAF. We look forward to working closely with American to establish the performance profile of Camelina feedstock oil and to develop the value chain for SAF from field to flight.”
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